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"Nevertheless, there is going to be a fairly rapid swing in temperatures over the weekend."

But he was critical of suggestions that it signalled increasingly erratic weather. "There is nothing unusual about what is going to happen."

A spokesman for the Meteorological Office said: "This weekend we will be seeing much warmer weather with some sunshine. The country is finally warming up with some spring showers interspersed with sunshine."

Next week's weather will be in direct contrast to the wintry blast yesterday.

Parts of the country woke to five-and-a-half inches of snow, with the Midlands and Wales and the South of England worst affected.

Motorists, especially on the M4 in Wales and the M5 in Worcestershire, struggled with the icy conditions after temperatures dropped to as low as freezing before dawn. Yesterday afternoon, the south of England experienced torrential rain, although drier weather took hold later in the evening.

On the roads and motorways, there were reports of snow at Junction 7 of the M5 near Worcester causing delays, while a 30mph speed limit was in place earlier on parts of the M4 in south Wales where just one lane was open.

In Worcestershire, the A44 west of Broadway was "almost impassable" with vehicles stranded trying to climb a steep incline and there were hazardous conditions around Leominster as well as in parts of Herefordshire.

There were numerous reports of jackknifed lorries causing long delays to morning traffic across Gloucestershire but the South East was largely unaffected and in London there were no weather-related travel problems.

In Warwickshire, motorists were urged by police to slow down and to allow extra time for their journeys after there were 15 minor accidents reported in the south of the county.